Scott’s Motorcycle Blog

1973 CB 450

Sun, 15 May 2011 08:43:29 -0400

I’ve been looking for a bike that is similar to my first ever road bike, which was a 1971 (or 72) Honda CB450 twin.

I finally found one on eBay and purchased it. It has less than 15k miles on it and was found by the seller in a neighbors garage, where it’s been since around 1984.

The seller went through the bike and rebuilt the carbs, forks, front break, etc.., and got the bike in good running shape.

It needs to have the carbs synced, but other than that it’s in pretty nice shape. The gas tank has a few dings but is in nice shape otherwise-- should I paint it??

The fenders are in great shape. I took it for a 120 mile ride the first chance I got and it worked well and brought a whole bunch of memories of when I was 19 with my first bike. The old body was a bit bit sore afterwards-- the seating position and hard seat must have been kinder to a younger me!

First time pulled over for modulated headlight - no ticket

Fri, 6 May 2011 20:32:37 -0400

I’ve had a headlight modulator safety device for almost two years and would have to say it really does help people see me coming.

Today was the first time I’ve ever gotten pulled over for it, and I have passed many police officers while using the modulator.

This officer insisted that the NYS law (Section 375 Sub 41) specifies that no oscillating lights are allowed on any vehicle.

Though I looked into it extensively when I was purchasing the modulator, I didn’t have a copy of the federal regulation.

I politely commented that I was pretty sure that the DOT regulation allowed proper devices (that meet the standards for amount of dimness, speed, shade sensor, etc..) and that I used it as a safety device, but the officer had never seen a motorcycle with one on before and was pretty sure there was no other regulation.

He was kind enough to let me go with just a warning, and that if I did in fact find the regulation, I should carry it with me. He said he would look into it later on as well, but that in the meantime if he saw me with it on he’d have to pull me over and ticket me.

I’ve found the regulations and have emailed them to the police station to hopefully help them out. I’ll also carry them on my bike.

For future reference, here’s the links:

From the NYS SafeNY site:
Are motorcycle headlight modulators legal for use on motorcycles in New York State?

A 2005 Memo from the NYS Department of Motor Vehicles to law enforcement agencies in the state:
http://www.cnybikersunited.com/dmv%20headlamp.pdf

Federal Regulations Regulation 49 CFR 571.108, Section 7.9.4 (search for S7.9.4)
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/get-cfr.cgi?TITLE=49&PART=571&SECTION=108&YEAR=1999&TYPE=TEXT

The Regulation Nicely Formatted:
http://www.kriss.com/pdf/modulator-headlamp.pdf

The actual regulation is quoted below:

S7.9.4 Motorcycle headlamp modulation system.
S7.9.4.1 A headlamp on a motorcycle may be wired to modulate either
the upper beam or the lower beam from its maximum intensity to a lesser
intensity, provided that:
(a) The rate of modulation shall be 240 <plus-minus> 40 cycles per
minute.
(b) The headlamp shall be operated at maximum power for 50 to 70
percent of each cycle.
(c) The lowest intensity at any test point shall be not less than 17
percent of the maximum intensity measured at the same point.
(d) The modulator switch shall be wired in the power lead of the
beam filament being modulated and not in the ground side of the circuit.
(e) Means shall be provided so that both the lower beam and upper
beam remain operable in the event of a modulator failure.
(f) The system shall include a sensor mounted with the axis of its
sensing element perpendicular to a horizontal plane. Headlamp modulation
shall cease whenever the level of light emitted by a tungsten filament
light operating at 3000 deg. Kelvin is either less than 270 lux (25
foot-candles) of direct light for upward pointing sensors or less than
60 lux (5.6 foot-candles) of reflected light for downward pointing
sensors. The light is measured by a silicon cell type light meter that
is located at the sensor and pointing in the same direction as the
sensor. A Kodak Gray Card (Kodak R-27) is placed at ground level to
simulate the road surface in testing downward pointing sensors.
(g) When tested in accordance with the test profile shown in Figure
9, the voltage drop across the modulator when the lamp is on at all test
conditions for 12 volt systems and 6 volt systems shall not be greater
than .45 volt. The modulator shall meet all the provisions of the
standard after completion of the test profile shown in Figure 9.
(h) Means shall be provided so that both the lower and upper beam
function at design voltage when the headlamp control switch is in either
the lower or upper beam position when the modulator is off.
S7.9.4.2(a) Each motorcycle headlamp modulator not intended as
original equipment, or its container, shall be labeled with the maximum
wattage, and the minimum wattage appropriate for its use. Additionally,
each such modulator shall comply with S7.9.4.1 (a) through (g) when
connected to a headlamp of the maximum rated power and a headlamp of the
minimum rated power, and shall provide means so that the modulated beam
functions at design voltage when the modulator is off.
(b) Instructions, with a diagram, shall be provided for mounting the
light sensor including location on the motorcycle, distance above the
road surface, and orientation with respect to the light.

A new front tire on my new (extra) rim.

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 21:40:13 -0400

Today I switched the front tire from a Metzler ME880 Rear to a Pirelli MT66 rear after 22000 miles.

This tire seems to be a favorite of the the dark side crowd.

I was able to test it for a short 40 mile ride, and so far it seems to mesh very well with the General Altimax HP on the rear. I think I like it!

I’ve got another Altimax on the way to mount on my extra rear rim so that it’s ready to go for the next rear tire change.

BTW-- I got the extra set of rims from a forum member who had them as take offs... very handy!

Next up-- General Altimax 205/60r16

Sat, 23 Oct 2010 21:06:54 -0400

My second Dark Side tire (Dunlop SP5000) lasted 11,100 miles- which is even less than the first. And, I really did try to take it easy!!

Since some of the folks on the Delphi V*1300 forum are having some luck getting the General Altimax to fit, I though I’d try it.

The Altimax is probably the most popular tire for darksiders acrossed the model spectrum. The 205/60r16 is taller and wider than the Dunlop SP5000 195/60R-16, making it about the same diameter as the stock OEM tire.

Unfortunately, I think my ill-fitting Yamaha Backrest/luggage rack resulted in the fender (and the fender frame) being drawn in some- the tire rubbed slightly on the left (belt) side.

I took it too my cousin’s shop who helped me to grind out the fender frame-edge some, and then we popped the fender wider using a car jack on the inside.

Now that the tire’s on I’ve worked the pressure down to around 32 where it handles pretty well. When riding in the rain I think the traction is even better than the Dunlop, both braking and accelerating.

It might not be quite as good as the Dunlop at extreme lean angles, but I’ve only got a thousand miles on it so far.

1st Darkside Tire- 12000 miles

Fri, 4 Sep 2009 19:37:00 -0400

My first Dunlop SP5000 was replaced with about 12,000 miles on it.

While it’s a little better than my Metzlers ME880 Mileage (11,000 and 9,000), and 3x better than the original stock tire (4,000), it falls a a bit short of the 20k+ I was hoping for.

Since others are getting over 20k+ with this tire, and more than I with the standard MC tires, I can only assume that the mileage falloff is due to riding habit differences. Also, I ran the tire pressure a bit higher than the sweet spot (36/38 lbs) for more than half of the life, which will cut down on the center tread life.

While there is a lot of rubber on the road with this tire it is a softer compound than MC specific tires and may be more susceptible to tire shredding fast starts.

I’ll try to be conscious of this for this next tire and see if I can extend the mileage while still having a bit of fun once in awhile.

So far I’ve taken a quick test ride of the new rubber and, even though it’s around 40lbs for a bit of breaking in, the handling isn’t all that bad! I’ll drop it down to the 31lb sweet spot after a few rides...

V*1300 vs. Sportster 1200

Thu, 3 Sep 2009 10:38:25 -0400

My brother and I finally "lined them up" at the local 1/8th mile drag strip's Wed. Cruise Nite. Unfortunately I didn't get the camera out so we only got the times as our buds remembered them-- since it was a cruise night and only $5 per run they didn't hand out slips..

I've got a 2007 V*1300 with RoadBurner 2-1, Thunder Vertical S&S air, and a Cobra CL.

He's got a 2004 Harley Sportster 1200 with pipes, air kit,screaming eagle pistons, and a screaming eagle Head kit-- not sure what his final displacement is- he's being coy...
 On each run I'd pull him on the start but he'd gain ground like crazy in 2nd-- his bike really pulls strong...

I edged him out the first run though his time was faster-- about a 8.74 @ 83 mph vs his 8.67 secs.

Second run we both launched pretty good-- he edged me out with a 8.2x vs my 8.4 secs (both at about 85 mph)

Third run I didn't keep the RPMs up enough at launch and bogged it-- he beat me 8.2 to 8.75....

I stripped the bike down to a solo seat, bare fender, deflector shield and no bags to offset some of his weight advantage. He's still probably about 100lbs under overall with almost as much peak HP and a really strong power band.

I think I could definitely launch even better-- I had hoped to come out with a bit of a spin but it bogged each time. Does TL give lessons? :-)

Also, I should have checked the Cobra settings-- they were at 1-3-4 and I could probably have used a bit more in the middle section.

Note to self- I'd love to try the PowerCommander V w/AutoTune to see how the bike runs with a complete EFI tuning.....

Next Up- Wagner Xenon BriteLite

Tue, 1 Sep 2009 10:32:44 -0400

The Silverstar Ultra lost it's high beam element the other day- that gave it a longevity of 8k miles and 6 months, which puts it a little ahead of the regular Silverstars I've tried. The Ultra had much better night visibility and distance however.
Next up-- the Wagner Xenon BriteLite H4BL. (which can be found at most NAPAs)

First Impressions: At first I thought- well, it's not as bright as the Silverstar Ultra, but not bad. 
After I got used to it I started noticing that although I couldn't see reflective bits quite as far, I could actually see "down the road" details with noticeably more clarity. Where the Silverstar Ultra gave kind of a washed-out halo-ish look to things, the BriteLite shows things more true to form- it's almost as bright, but not so over-white...

I think I like it!

I'll keep y'all posted as to longevity, but if it runs cooler than regular halogens as advertised it may last longer as well.

I'll have to switch my modulator back to high beam mode- perhaps this bulb won't have the nauseating affect of having every reflective sign and marker pulsating back at me in the daytime!

New Power Outlet / PA V*1300 Ride

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 09:04:53 -0400

My old power outlet died (corrosion) so I got the handlebar mounted Kuryakyn outlet. It tucks away nicely behind my TechMount and powers my new iPhone 3GS quite nicely.

I recently got back from a PA V*1300 Meet & Greet with UncleBob, Tom, BobB, Leo, Jack, and Roger.

We had a nice lunch at TGIF, got to talk bikes and mods, and four of us made it to Bill’s Bike Barn.

Uncle Bob and I had a fun ride that was only slightly dampened by some rain at the start and a torrential downpour that also spawned a tornado near Cuba, NY.

A great time! More picts at: http://gallery.me.com/snourse/100095

VisaPath Headlight Modulator

Wed, 27 May 2009 08:06:53 -0400

I just added a headlight modulator to the ole’ V-Star.

The model I choose is the VisiPath Headlight Modulator 115 watts H4 plug sS115H4 from Comagination.

It features a plug and play installation and a light sensor that automatically turns off the modulation at night. This model operates on high beam.

Installation involved pulling out the light assembly, running the cable for the light sensor out the back of the assembly, plugging the modulator connectors into the light and existing wire, then carefully squeezing it all back in. Simple.

The idea is to be seen/noticed by oncoming traffic and by cars approaching oncoming intersections.

So far it seems to help-- people seem to notice. In fact it might be a bit too steady and signal like-- it appears that I am flashing at them. I had thought the modulation would be more varied and random, but I think it will still work.

My riding buddies noticed it but found that it wasn’t too annoying. They did complain that they will never know if I’m trying to get them to pull over now-- flashing the high beams was always the way to signal that.

Usually when riding behind someone for any distance I’ll turn the headlight to high beam only.

RoadBurner Ride

Sat, 9 May 2009 09:15:00 -0400

A sound clip of a long, boring ride to work with the RoadBurner Velocity Pro exhaust on my V-Star 1300.

I’ve tried to edit out SOME of the boring bits, but thought somebody who’s looking to get this exhaust might want to hear what it sounds like from the rider’s perch under typical neighborhood/highway/city street conditions.

There’s an odd resonance in the mic under certain rpms-- sorry about that!